In our September Sharp Marketing Mastermind meeting, we discussed Google Analytics 4 (GA4), what it can and can’t tell us, and how to use it to improve law-firm websites.
We covered why Google Analytics is a measurement tool not a traffic generator, how to define on-site goals around engagement and inquiries, and the practical reports/settings that help you separate signal from noise.
The aim: trust your data enough to make clear decisions about UX, SEO, and conversion opportunities.
In this meeting, we discussed:
Google Analytics vs. past expectations (Universal Analytics): why less “granular” user data doesn’t block smart decisions.
Core definitions: users vs. sessions (and how UTMs can unintentionally create duplicate sessions).
Traffic channels: organic search vs. local/Google Business, paid social, referral, direct, “paid other,” and cross-network.
Separating local SEO (Google Business) from organic SEO using UTM parameters built with Google’s Campaign URL Builder.
Landing pages vs. page paths: why “first page” (landing) is the better lens for marketing analysis.
Events vs. key events (conversions): what to mark (form submissions, click-to-call, chat completions) and why.
Google Tag Manager basics: setting up click events (e.g., homepage CTA/webinar) and sending them to GA4.
Using filters and comparisons (country/region, channel, landing page, event name) to isolate real performance.
Understanding “unassigned” traffic (e.g., AI referrers like ChatGPT/Perplexity) and why you’ll never get 100% attribution.
Practical reporting habits: Traffic Acquisition, Landing Pages, Session Source/Medium, and month-over-month change checks in Looker Studio.
A big thanks to everyone for attending and participating! Below are the resources for our Sharp Marketing Mastermind members:
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